ANATOMY OF THE ISS

The habitable satellite serves as the largest human-made body in orbit, consisting of pressurised modules, external trusses and solar arrays, among other components

1 Russian Orbital Segment (ROS)

Constructed by Roscosmos, the Russian Orbital Segment deals with the navigation, guidance and control of the ISS.

2 Mobile Servicing System (MSS)

The MSS plays a vital role, using its primary component the Canadarm2 to manually move supplies, grasp spacecraft and relocate astronauts.

3 Japanese Experiment Module (JEM)

Nicknamed Kibō, the JEM is the largest single component aboard the ISS and is used primarily for conducting tests on our atmosphere.

4 Habitation modules

A main habitation module was originally planned for the ISS, but was later cancelled. Astronauts sleep in multiple areas of the station.

5 Pressurised Mating Adaptors

PMAs are spacecraft adaptors used aboard the ISS to link two different connectors together – the Common Berthing Mechanism and the APAS-95.

6

Columbus module

Much like other modules, the ESA’s Columbus provides the tools to study the biological effects of spaceflight on the human body.

7

Destiny laboratory

Operated by NASA, Destiny is used for research to conduct experiments and tests in a microgravity environment.

8

Solar arrays

The ISS has eight photovoltaic arrays, measuring 34.1 metres (112 feet) long and 11.9 metres (39 feet) wide, giving the station enough power to operate.

9

Integrated Truss Structure (ITS)

The ITS is a large framework of trusses that connects a number of different unpressurised

ISS components together.